Eating Makita’s Dust

We often tease Makita about the number of motocross-related news items they seem to have. However, they also do this whole tool thing we like to mention once in a while. In this case they’re expanding their grinder products with the addition of a new 192618-2 and 192972-4 dust extraction system.

Okay, so “dust extraction system” works out to a new guard around the wheel with a hose on the back of it — but that said, the issue of dust and particulate matter produced on a job site from cutting concrete isn’t fully appreciated until you’ve had the joy of choking on it once or twice.

The new cast aluminum guard fits around the drive collar and encloses a 4 1/2″-5″ cutting wheel around the back side to catch debris. Makita is also rolling out a version of this same guard with a shoe on the open end to simulate more of a circ-saw type of feel with a grinder. The guard comes with either the 3/4″ Makita hose fitting or 1 1/2″ or 1 3/4″ in order to fit most shop vacuum attachments.

You’d better be serious about air quality, though, as the 192618-2 and 192972-4 guards will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 for their minty-fresh goodness. We’ve seen other whole grinding systems that cost less, but quality build in a good extraction system can be worth its weight in gold, so value is really up to the individual.

I would have loved something like this when I was cutting my basement floor for DWV lines about a year ago. There is still concrete dust everywhere, and holding the shopvac nozzle (with a drywall filter installed) to the grinder hardly made a difference. Wearing a dust mask was more than a good idea, it was necessary for living a normal life span. The fans in the window helped (as marked by the amounts of concrete dust that stuck to the screen), but not nearly enough to stop dust from getting everywhere. $60 is a bit steep, but it might have been worth it to avoid choking on the dust that made it through the mask and to avoid the hours of cleanup that were needed. Add in the couple of items that were damaged or destroyed by the concrete dust, and this could be a winner.

disposable dust mask and a broom doesn’t protect everyone else on a job site and these concrete dust is a big dam deal to the safety guys 60 is a bargain compared to the hilti and a few other offerings out there

A broom and a mask don’t do anything for concrete dust! Little mask will help you a bit but that stuff gets EVERYWHERE. Which is a real problem if working inside a building or someones home! $60 might be a bit steep for just the one guard but I’ll probably be buying one. Also things like this are becoming required. Keeping dust down is becoming a big deal now a days.

The Hilti is a whole different class of tool. Great for what it does – but not liklely to be used by my tile guys – like they use a small angle grinder – e.g. the Makita. Not quite the same class – I could say thet one of the big Vermeer Machines cut concrete better than the Hilti – but that’s way unfair too – and getting the Vermeer down into a basement would be some feat.